Hospital Hill Run

Saturday June 2, 2018 • Grand and Pershing • Varies

Nicknamed the “grandfather of all Kansas City road races” by race organizers and the local community, the hilly and challenging Hospital Hill Run offers runners a choice of running in a half-marathon, a 10K or a 5K, the latter of which is sponsored by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Medical School.

Now set for its 43rd annual running, the race follows a long, narrow loop course on a mostly north-south route through the city’s downtown streets and tree-lined park areas, starting and finishing at Kansas City’s Crown Center.

Because it’s Kansas City, the course is hilly — the race features an overall elevation change of just over 180 feet, rising from a low of 812 feet above sea level between the start and the first mile marker, and a high of 995 feet between miles 11 and 12.

Run entirely on paved surfaces through the city, the course features few flat stretches to speak of, and features uphills and downhills throughout, some of which — like the famous Hospital Hill, Broadway Hill and Rockhill Hill — are seriously challenging, past participants say.

Runners will get to run past and through a number of the city’s more scenic areas along the race course, perhaps to reward participants for chugging up and down all those hills! Along the way, runners traverse through Hyde Park, Gillham Park, Brookside Park and Penn Valley Park, home to Kansas City’s Liberty Museum and World War I memorial.

The half marathon, like the 10K and 5K, begins on Grand Boulevard just north of East Pershing Road at 7:00 AM. The finish line lies just a stone’s throw away, also on Grand near the Crown Center.

Expect a good size field when you arrive for the race, as more than 2,200 participants crossed the finish line in the half marathon alone in recent years — out of a field of more than 5,000 finishers for all three races combined — and the event is open to both runners and walkers.

For more information please visit http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/